One of Queenstown's top horsewomen was reduced to tears yesterday after discovering her two horses had their tail hair hacked off.

Police say a drunk teen alleged to have shot a friend in the knee had earlier aimed the gun at friends who were forced to take cover behind a wheelie-bin.

A psychiatrist who treated patients with the drug ketamine for depression was not carrying out research or experimental treatment, it's been found.

A drunk man is alleged to have mistakenly smashed his way into a Dunedin flat causing 'thousands' in damage and scaring the student residents.

A Clinton man whom a judge described as the "neighbour from hell" was lucky to avoid being held in contempt of court for his behaviour at a defended hearing.

The owner of a lamb which was bashed and killed on Saturday says he has been blown away by one Central Otago sheep farmer's kindness.

A beloved pet lamb was stolen and later dumped with a smashed head and set on fire outside its Dunedin home early yesterday, police say.

Danielle Wright experiences cross-country skiing at Wanaka.

An Auckland man has appeared in court in Brisbane today charged with trafficking synthetic cannabis into Australia.

Homes with excessively smoking chimneys in Otago's high air pollution towns will be targeted in coming months and residents given a deadline to "clear the air" as the battle to improve air quality intensifies.

Justine Tyerman goes for a hoon up the Dart River.

Many of the landmarks of the fabled Dunedin Sound of the 1980s can be visited on a relatively short and intriguing walk.

A holiday wildlife tour ended in hypothermia for four young women kayaking near Taiaroa Head, in Otago, yesterday.

A van ended up in Otago Harbour after going off Portobello Rd at Edwards Bay yesterday.

The main highway north of Balclutha remains closed this morning after a head-on crash in which a woman was killed and another seriously injured.

There was just one word to describe 82-year-old Central Otago farmer Rex George after the big snow: "buggered".

Following more than a week of heavy rain, floods and snow, Otago residents are being told to expect a slow return to normality.

Volunteers are urgently needed to help farmers access and feed stock on about 40 stations above 500m throughout Otago.

Five members of a Lake Hawea family were considered lucky to be alive last night after a runaway people mover crashed into their lounge.

A North Otago dairy worker had to be rescued from his motorbike in chest-deep floodwaters in Kakanui Valley yesterday.

The University of Otago needs to target international students more "aggressively" after having the largest decline in international numbers of any New Zealand university this year, Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce says.

Hayden Donnell hops on a bicycle to explore the newest trails around Queenstown.